WWE Smackdown Live Results: Analysing and grading each segment (December 20th)

Apollo Crews vs. The Miz (Intercontinental Championship):

Apollo Crews impressed here, putting in his best performance on the blue brand yet

Result: The Miz retains after a poke to the eye and a Skull-Crushing Finale on Crews.

Grade: 8/10

This was a solid title match that made Apollo Crews look like a star. This was arguably Crews’ most impressive performance so far on the blue brand, and if he continues to shine in matches like these, he may start to gain some serious momentum.

The near falls in this matchup were great, with the crowd on the edge of their seats for a number of Crews’ pins on the Miz. This was also another solid performance from Miz, who once again cheated his way to victory with a poke to the eye. This allowed Crews to be protected in loss while giving Miz another successful title defence.

The Miz’s bombshell on Renee Young was excellent as well, with Ambrose and Miz’s feud receiving a new personal layer as Young gets involved in the story. Miz came across as a complete jerk for pointing out Young’s relationship with Ambrose, and this new aspect of the Ambrose/Miz rivalry will be intriguing to see over the next few weeks.

Overall, a solid match from Crews and Miz which allowed the former to shine, while Miz remained his brilliant arrogant, jerk heel persona with a cheap win and a bombshell on Renee Young post-match.